Starting All Over…Sleep Training 101

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We had been doing sleep training with E for about the past month and half and was going so well until he got this latest ear infection. I admit, I was probably a push over but couldn’t stand to hear him cry, even for a little bit because I didn’t know if it was his ears bothering him or not. So I’d pick him up and he’d snuggle up on my shoulder. Ever since, he’s lost everything he had figured out about going to sleep on his own.

The night before last I think we finally hit a breaking point. He went down at 8:30 nursing – mistake 1 (I know). Then woke up at 11:30 so I went and picked him up, changed his diaper and tried to dance with him to get him back to sleep. When he continued to be fussy, I resorted to nursing again – mistake 2. I brought him back to bed so I could nurse and at least relax a little. After about 15 minutes, I seemed to be nodding off so I took him back to bed, laid him down and walked away. Five minutes later he was crying again. I debated letting him figure it out but I just couldn’t. Back into the room I went. This time, I thought I’d just lay him down in bed with us briefly till he fell asleep then move him back to the crib – mistake 3. Even that didn’t calm him down. (Meanwhile, it’s now almost 1:00 and S has to get up at 4 for work). So we got back out of bed and he nuzzled back up on my shoulder and fell asleep while I was standing up. THEN, I’m thinking I’ll just lay down with him on me and we’ll both get a little sleep. The second my butt hit the bed, he woke up and started crying. This went on all night!! Finally, S moved to the couch and E and I took over the bed. It wasn’t 10 minutes after I laid him down on S’s side that he finally fell asleep. By the time 6:30 rolled around, I was exhausted and E was sound asleep, sprawled all over the bed.

That’s when we realized that maybe we need to be revisiting our books and working on sleep habits again. Not that I don’t love cuddling but my job requires that I be “on” all day, I don’t have the luxury of an afternoon nap.

I’m not looking forward to the impending crying that’s bound to occur but it’s necessary for us to find some middle ground. I keep hoping that he will just magically start sleeping through the night like he did when he was about 7 weeks old but I don’t see that happening. So we’re starting over…*sigh*

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Disclaimer

I am not a licensed medical professional. All views expressed on this website are based on my own personal research and experiences. Please consult your doctor with any medical issues, or before beginning a training program.